Identification Method of Weather Radar Beam Blockage Based on Clear-sky Echoes
Cheng Changyu
Lai Chen
Gao Lan
Dong Liping
Yan Jing
Zhen Xiaoqiong
Abstract：Beam blockage is a major source of error in radar-based Quantitative Precipitation Estima-tion(QPE)algorithms.To enhance the quality of weather radar data,this paper presents a novel method for identifying radar beam blockage using clear-sky echo data.First,continuous observations of clear-air reflectivity factors are employed to derive both the mean radial reflectivity factor and the deviation charac-teristics between adjacent reflectivity factors.Subsequently,the Tukey method is utilized to detect the blocked azimuths and to calculate the mean reflectivity factor deviation at these azimuths.Experiments and validation conducted based on the Wuhan weather radar data demonstrate that:(1)The proposed method can effectively identify beam blockage caused by urban buildings without relying on terrain data.(2)The contrast to the observed precipitation processes confirms the effectiveness of this method under clear-sky echo conditions.(3)The calculated mean reflectivity factor deviation by this method is more consistent with the deviations observed under beam blockage during precipitation events.The aforementioned effects of this method highlight its value for radar coverage analysis and data quality assessment.
Keywords：weather radarbeam blockageclear-sky echoidentification
Publication Date：2025-03-30
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 18-25 )